Your iPhone has several built-in features that can amplify sound, clarify speech, and even function as an FDA-cleared hearing aid when paired with the right earbuds. Some of these tools work with hardware you may already own, while others require specific AirPods models. Here’s how to set up each option and what to expect from it.
Live Listen: Turn Your iPhone Into a Remote Microphone
Live Listen is the simplest way to use your iPhone as a hearing aid. It turns your phone’s microphone into a remote mic that streams amplified audio directly to your earbuds. You can place your iPhone on a table near someone speaking, then hear their voice clearly through your AirPods from across the room. It works with AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and several Beats models, as long as your device runs iOS 14.3 or later.
To set it up, you first need to add the control to your Control Center:
- Open Control Center and tap the Add Controls button, then tap Add a Control.
- Under Hearing Accessibility, tap Live Listen (or type it into the search field).
- Close Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
From now on, whenever you want to use it, just open Control Center and tap the Live Listen icon. Your iPhone immediately begins picking up sound and routing it to your connected earbuds. This is especially useful in restaurants, lectures, or any situation where you can position your phone closer to the sound source than your ears would be.
One thing to be aware of: Live Listen introduces a slight audio delay. On newer iPhones like the iPhone 13, latency sits around 150 milliseconds. On older models like the iPhone 6, it stretches closer to 250 milliseconds. That’s noticeable enough during face-to-face conversation to feel slightly out of sync with lip movements, but it’s perfectly usable for listening to a speaker at a distance.
Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro
If your main struggle is hearing the person in front of you in noisy places, Conversation Boost is worth enabling. Available on AirPods Pro, this feature uses beamforming microphones and computational audio to focus on the voice directly ahead of you while reducing background noise from other directions. Testing published in The Hearing Review found that Conversation Boost reduced the level of surrounding noise while simultaneously increasing the level of the target speech, a combination that meaningfully improves clarity in crowded environments.
To turn it on, put your AirPods Pro in your ears and go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio/Visual, then AirPods. You’ll find the Conversation Boost toggle there. Once enabled, it works automatically in Transparency mode, so you don’t need to activate it each time. You just need to face the person you’re talking to.
AirPods Pro 2 as an FDA-Cleared Hearing Aid
In 2024, the FDA authorized Apple’s Hearing Aid Feature as the first over-the-counter hearing aid software. This goes beyond simple amplification. It’s a clinically reviewed hearing aid that runs on AirPods Pro 2, designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
The setup starts with a hearing test built into your iPhone. The test takes about five minutes and measures your hearing sensitivity at different frequencies. Based on the results, your AirPods Pro 2 create a personalized audio profile that amplifies the specific frequencies you struggle with, rather than boosting all sound equally. This is the same approach traditional hearing aids use, just delivered through earbuds you might already own.
To access it, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Hearing Devices, and follow the prompts. You’ll need AirPods Pro 2 with compatible firmware and an iPhone running iOS 18.1 or later. The feature was reviewed through the FDA’s De Novo pathway, which is reserved for novel low-to-moderate-risk devices. It’s not a replacement for professional hearing aids in cases of severe hearing loss, but for mild to moderate cases, it offers a dramatically cheaper entry point.
Transparency Mode and Loud Sound Reduction
Transparency mode on AirPods Pro lets outside sound pass through while you’re wearing them, which is useful on its own. But paired with the Loud Sound Reduction setting, it also protects your hearing by automatically dampening loud environmental noise in real time. This means you can wear your AirPods in noisy environments like city streets or concerts and hear your surroundings without being blasted by sudden loud sounds.
You can fine-tune how much ambient sound comes through using the Ambient Noise Reduction slider in your AirPods settings. Dragging it adjusts the balance between hearing your environment and filtering it. If you turn off Loud Sound Reduction entirely, the hearing protection feature is also disabled, so it’s worth keeping on unless you have a specific reason not to.
Sound Recognition for Alerts You Can’t Hear
This feature doesn’t amplify sound. Instead, it listens for specific noises and sends you a notification when it detects them. If you have trouble hearing your doorbell, a smoke alarm, or a baby crying, your iPhone can monitor for those sounds continuously and alert you with a visual or haptic notification.
To set it up:
- Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Sound & Name Recognition, then Sound Recognition.
- Turn on Sound Recognition (your iPhone may need a moment to download sound models).
- Tap Sounds and toggle on whichever sounds you want monitored.
You can also train your iPhone to recognize custom sounds specific to your home, like a particular doorbell or appliance. Tap Custom Alarm, Custom Appliance, or Doorbell, name it, place your iPhone near the sound source with minimal background noise, and tap Start Listening. The phone will record several samples and learn to identify that specific sound going forward. This is particularly useful if you have a non-standard doorbell or an alarm with an unusual tone that the preset options don’t cover.
Pairing Made for iPhone Hearing Aids
If you wear traditional hearing aids, check whether they carry the “Made for iPhone” (MFi) certification. MFi hearing aids connect to your iPhone with a deeper level of integration than standard Bluetooth audio devices. Once paired, you can control microphone volume, switch between audio presets, and stream phone calls or media directly to your hearing aids from your iPhone.
To pair them, put your hearing aids into pairing mode. If they use replaceable batteries, open and close the battery door. If they have an on/off switch, cycle it. If they have built-in rechargeable batteries and no switch, remove them from their charger. Then go to Settings, tap Accessibility, then Hearing Devices. Your iPhone will search for nearby devices. When your hearing aids appear, tap the name and confirm the Bluetooth pairing request. Once paired, your iPhone remembers the connection and reconnects automatically.
The advantage over regular Bluetooth is lower power consumption, more stable connections, and the ability to adjust your hearing aid settings directly from your phone without a separate manufacturer app. Hundreds of hearing aid models from major brands carry MFi certification, so there’s a good chance yours is compatible if it was made in the last several years.